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United-PMA and USDA-FDA: shotgun weddings?

The LinkedIn poll that I created on the PMA-United Fresh merger expires about 6 p.m. Central Standard Time tonight. So far, the vote is running 5 to 1 in favor of the merger.

You have heard the White House pitch for authority to reorganize government? Here is what the first action point would be, per a White House news release:

Currently, there are six major departments and agencies that focus primarily on business and trade in the federal government. The six are: U.S. Department of Commerce’s core business and trade functions, the Small Business Administration, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the Export-Import Bank, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.

This is redundant and inefficient. Small businesses often face a maze of agencies when looking for even the most basic answers to the most basic questions. There is a whole host of websites, toll-free numbers and customer service centers that at times offer them differing advice. The result is a system that is not working for our small businesses.

The President is proposing to consolidate those six departments and agencies into one Department with one website, one phone number and one mission – helping American businesses succeed.

TK: Now if a Republican had proposed this, most folks would think it would be a good idea. As it is, President Obama has a hard time selling himself as the strict caretaker of America's fiscal restraint and promoter of business-friendly bureaucracy. Veteran journalist Jerry Hagstrom has also reported that the White House would be anxious to use this coveted authority to create a single federal food safety authority. Melding the USDA and FDA food safety oversight into one agency has been too tough to accomplish in Congress, so the White House is looking for an end-around. The clash of cultures would be too great for the plan to succeed, Dr. Richard Raymond ( a former USDA official, by the way) argues in this opinion piece at Food Safety News.

Like United and PMA, the odds are long that FDA and USDA will ever become one, no matter the potential benefits.

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About the Author:

Tom Karst

Tom Karst is national editor for The Packer, covering issues of importance to the produce industry including immigration, farm policy and food safety.
He began his career with Vance Publishing Corp., The Packer's parent company, in 1984 as one of the founding editors of ProNet, a pioneering electronic news service for the produce industry. Tom has also served as markets editor for The Packer and editor of Global Produce magazine in his time at Vance Publishing, among other positions.
Tom is also the main author of Fresh Talk, www.tinyurl.com/freshtalkblog, an industry blog that has been active since November 2006.
Previous to Vance, Tom worked from 1982 to 1984 at Harris Electronic News, a farm videotext service based in Hutchinson, Kansas.
Tom has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural journalism from Kansas State University, Manhattan.
He can be reached at tkarst@thepacker.com and 913-438-0769. Find Tom's Twitter account at www.twitter.com/tckarst.